LYRICS:
Commencing this short rap in Jorhat, north east India
the city where living for many is hard, for others even trickier
Also the city of our narrator, Jitu Korlita
A photographic capturer of images of nature
In all its splendor, and splendor it certainly delivers
near to the Bhramaputra one of India’s most crucial rivers
The banks of which many millions call home
who are threatened every year during the monsoon
With floods brutally rising, eroding land, unruly climbing
No where more evident than Majuli island
The world’s largest river isle a natural diamond pristine
It’s lost half its land mass since nineteen seventeen
And could be completely gone in thirty years’ time
Nevertheless on a visit there in two thousand and nine
Jitu Korlita overlooked a barren wasteland and to his surprise
he seemed to spy an entire forest on the horizon
He couldn’t believe his eyes and when he saw a man
Jitu approached him to see if he could perchance explain
After being convinced that Jitu wasn’t a poacher, the man made a startling claim
He planted that whole forest himself and his name is Jadav Payeng

This is the tale of Jadav Payeng
Who saw the harsh end of this hard path we wend
And while many acquiesce to the dark farce ahead
He made a means to mend our ways by planting plants instead

Jitu reported this tale in the press and on-line
How this man had been planting trees since nineteen seventy nine
Every day of his life, assisted by his family and wife
Heading over the water to arrive Bucket in hand,
At the former sand bar of land where his forest stands
and which year by year incrementally he expands
Planting seedlings, and tending each one with best care
His forest is now five hundred and fifty hectares
Bigger than central park and providing habitat
For deer, rhinoceros, rabbits and even elephants to travel back
And on top of that, it’s well known that
The roots of healthy trees maintain soil and halt erosion
For almost forty years his routine’s been to plant plants and tend
and every tree and animal that exists there he calls his friend
Poachers and loggers are a constant threat
So he guards and defends, saying cut me before you cut my friends
Now Jitu and this man are the fastest of friends
He’s watched him attain fame but never let it go to his head
The prime minister even honoured his name
The Forest Man Of India, Jadav Payeng

Jadav Payeng loves all animals, humans the same
But humans are the only animals of which he’s afraid
The only difference is that humans will take take take
And would log his forest for the sake of making a short-term economic stake
Jitu watches Jadav at awards engagements
But suspects that in his private thoughts he hates them
He’s too humble, too self effacing
To get caught up in all that noise they making
But he goes along to try to make a statement
About the benefits of undertaking widespread afforestation
So far, too few people are listening to him speak
But he doesn’t get discouraged, he has patience indeed
Because whether it’s a whole forest or a change to our creeds
Jadav Payeng knows you just have to keep on planting the seeds
Who knows what we could achieve if this started a trend
And every town had a Forest person, lauded as him
And enough people reduced consumption, and planted plants instead
All thanks to the example of Jadav Payeng

This is the tale of Jadav Payeng
Who saw the harsh end of this hard path we wend
And while many acquiesce to the dark farce ahead
He made a means to mend our ways by planting plants instead
Our planet may seem far too vast to defend
But the imminent catastrophe is far too large to pretend
And which story would you rather artists sing
The chant of our end, or the tale of Jadav Payeng?